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1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus of the present invention relates to treatment of waste materials for disposal. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved chamber for treating waste which allows the chamber to be transported over long distances in unassembled components and upon reaching a site, reassembled for use, and provides for an improvement in the chamber opening for disposal of waste from the chamber.
2. General Background of the Invention
In the treatment and disposal of waste materials, such as household or other type of waste, applicant has been granted several patents, the first being U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,764, entitled xe2x80x9cSystem for Treatment of Household Wastexe2x80x9d, which discloses a system for treating municipal waste and recovering recyclable materials from the waste stream. The overall process included feeding a substantially solid waste stream comprising generally paper and pulp material, glass, etc. into a first vessel and rotating the vessel to intermix the solids with water under a predetermined pressure whereby the solid would be treated within the vessel and rendered in condition for moving along the remainder of the waste treatment stream. The second patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,407 relates to an improved chamber for treating the cellulose containing waste within the rotating chamber with steam under pressure which provided for the even distribution of waste within the chamber during treatment and easy removal of the waste from the chamber following treatment. The technology disclosed in these two aforesaid patents are hereby incorporated in their entirety herein by reference thereto. Additionally, these patents are cited in the information disclosure statement which is accompanying this application.
There are several drawbacks in the chamber which was disclosed and claimed in the two aforesaid patents and in the prior art. The chamber disclosed in these patents was substantially a very large chamber, sometimes 30 to 50 feet in length and having a diameter of 10 to 15 feet. As disclosed, this chamber was mounted to bearing assemblies on its end portions so that it may rotate during treatment of the waste. There was further disclosed, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,407, an opening along the chamber wall and which allowed waste to be dumped into the chamber. The opening would have to be sealed and the chamber would have been rotated, so that following treatment of the waste, the opening would be reopened and the treated waste could be removed from the chamber.
The manner in which the chamber is mounted on bearings and rollers, and the manner in which the lidded opening operates is currently causing problems in the art. The chamber is part of an overall system of treating waste, so that eventually at the end of the treatment cycle, the waste is rendered harmless and able to be disposed of in a conventional manner. However, it has been found that if the treatment system is located in remote areas, the transport of a very large treatment vessel across long distances is very, very difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a chamber which can be fabricated of individual components, these components transported and then the components assembled on site as the entire chamber.
There is a need in the art to secure the lid once it is moved from the closed position to the open position, in order to allow the waste to be removed from the chamber after use, yet assuring that the lid is not damaged.
The present invention solves the problems in the art in a simple and straight forward manner. What is provided is an improved waste treatment chamber which comprises a first substantially, cylindrically shaped chamber body, a first tapered end portion and a second tapered end portion, the cylindrical body and first and second end portions further comprising a plurality of components which may be transported individually and assembled to one another via bolting or the like so as to define an enclosed treatment chamber therewith within which may be mounted on bearings for rotation during the treatment process. Further, there is provided an improved container opening for adding or removing waste therein, which further comprises a rotatable locking assembly so that when the lid is in the open position, the lid is rotated and locked in place along the wall of the chamber, to provide the necessary opening, yet to avoid the lid from being loosely connected to the chamber during disposal of the waste therefrom.
Therefore, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved waste material treatment chamber which is able to be fabricated in individual component parts, transported in its disassembled state, and assembled on site so that the chamber is ready for use at a particular location;
It is a further principal object of the present invention to provide a waste disposal chamber which has a central opening which when in the open position a lid portion of the chamber may be locked in place so as to avoid any damage to the lid or other chamber while the waste material is being removed from the chamber;
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a chamber which can be assembled on site and mounted on pillar block bearings so as to allow the chamber to rotate during use yet have the ability to maneuver laterally as waste is rotated within the chamber and the chamber undergoes expansion and contraction during heating and cooling; and
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a chamber which is a part of an overall treatment system which can be assembled on site to be part of the overall treatment system and the transport of the chamber is made quite feasible in the process.